Forum Post: [Strategy]Confronting the NYPD peacefully
Posted 12 years ago on March 22, 2012, 10:21 a.m. EST by 1984
(2)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
Hello fellow occupiers!
I will present this idea in a few steps:
Get a lot of people to a place, say Zuccotti park,for an event called "the public debate" there has to be enough people to make sure the NYPD will show up. This shouldn't be hard since the #occupyspring has begun.
Send a public and personal invitation to the NYPD for the public debate with the items we'd like to discuss. These guys at the NYPD are part of the 99% and think they are "just doing their job". We want to hear their side of the story and tell them our side of the story. Make sure the media knows about this and enough of the mainstream shows up.
- We can be sure that the police will show up because they want to scare us away. But because we invited them we will walk towards them and thank them for showing up and ask them to join the debate. The best way would probably be to have a stage with a panel of the most representative occupy wallst. people, captain ray lewis (because he is a boss and can relate to both occupy and NYPD) and some empty seats for the NYPD. We need some kind of stage and sound enhancement to make it look more official and to be sure the whole world hears and sees how the NYPD reacts.
- Two things can happen:
- The NYPD will join the debate and we finally have a conversation with the NYPD that doesnt consist mainly of shouting and violence.
- The NYPD refuses to join and will be seen by the whole world as a force who can't be reasoned with. This strengthens our position and weakens the image of the NYPD even further.
I think this strategy fits perfectly with our non-violent approach to change the political debate and change Wall St. We need the NYPD on our side to make a significant impact IMO. Please let me know what you think of this idea.
1) The cops are not part of the 99%. They are the armed agents of the 1%. The fact that they are paid the same as other working stiffs is really a tertiary issue.
2) That said, they are not the enemy, but they are the agents of the enemy.
3) They really are "only following orders." Whether those orders are legal or not is really a moot point. It depends on who has the power and right now we don't.
4) The fact that efforts to re-occupy a public space in Manhattan is being met with such hostility suggests to me that we are doing exactly the right thing or else there wouldn't be so much hostility to it.
5) My own feeling are that we need to create such a massive presence in lower Manhattan that it would be impossible to evict us, that it would simply take too much manpower to do so and would overcrowd the jails.
Its a great idea, and would be an interesting PR move. Go for it!
I think we should be occupying more city council meetings and government meetings in general. Its our government too!
I think it would be great... But I feel this will never happen. NYPD will not do it... And to be honest the people at OWS don't seemed organized enough to pull this off, sorry but its true. Yes, they can get word out to protest, but your level of thinking....umm, sorry OWS will not.
By the way.... This is kinda the creative thinking I have been saying the OWS needs to start doing. They NEED new creative ideas to get that MEDIA COVERAGE.
Mac
Thanks for all the feedback, is there a think-tank or something to present this idea to? I think it can become something great but it needs some further thinking and processing. It can end very badly as JPB950 just pointed out. If it's well performed/organized it has a lot of potential to change the relation between OWS and the NYPD. i still see the NYPD as a part of the 99% that is trapped in the web spun by the 1%. they are here to protect the people. They SHOULD be here to protect the people. Once they realize they have been loyal to the wrong side they will do what they should have done the whole time: protect the people from evil. The fact that they are working for the 1% doesn't mean they are the 1%. once again: thanks and keep the world occupied!
It's always good to encourage dialogue. I am a cynic and pessimistic by nature however and see there are a couple of negative possibilities you haven't considered.
1) The NYPD representative comes and is shouted down by OWS supporters, making OWS look like uncontrolled crazies only interested in setting up confrontation rather then open discussion. With the media there it will only take a very few acting out for the cameras to blow this up in your face.
2) A representative of the police states that they don't make or debate public policy, they only enforce the law, you need to talk to city hall. If this message is delivered to the media you look ignorant of how things work and/or unwilling to discuss things with the proper authority.
I'd suggest looking at how it could go wrong as well as how it can go right.
Thanks for your feedback. I think you are right but a bit too pessimistic. #Occupyspring has just begun and things have just recently started. give it a few weeks and occupy will be back in organized form.
Oh come on. Dont disrupt my work place. You guys smell bad. I like to go to work in the morning peacefully. Please go and occupy your mom's basement
Why are these nerds occupying the police now?
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